Paris Saint-Germain's miseries worsen post Messi-Neymar

Paris Saint-Germain suffered a 4-1 loss to Newcastle United in the Champions League last night and are struggling in Ligue 1.

It has been a woeful start to the season for Paris Saint-Germain who are still trying to sort out their feet. This is a season of transition for the Parisians following the departures of Lionel Messi, Marco Verratti, and Neymar as well as the arrival of new coach Luis Enrique.

So far, however, things have not gone according to plan.

They are fifth in the Ligue 1 table after three defeats and a loss in the seven games that they have played so far. That is an extremely poor return for Les Parisiens in a competition that they have traditionally dominated over the last decade.

Even in the UEFA Champions League, PSG were handed a rude shock and suffered a 4-1 humiliation at the hands of Newcastle United at St. James’ Park in England. Miguel Almiron and Dan Burn scored in the first half while Sean Longstaff made it 3-0 in their favour early in the second half. A goal from Lucas Hernandez gave Luis Enrique’s side some respite but Fabian Schar put the final nail in PSG’s coffin with a  stunning goal from distance and capped off a wonderful night for Newcastle.

Newcastle United find themselves competing in the Champions League for the first time in 20 years and now sit on top of their respective group after following up the goalless draw against Milan with the annihilation of PSG. Meanwhile, PSG, who defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the opening clash, still do not look capable of making a strong run in the competition that has been the obsession for the club’s Qatari owners for a decade now.

Ahead of the game between the two sides, there was plenty of talk regarding the ownership of both teams. Both Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain are state-owned clubs whose modern successes have been built on the petrodollar financial muscle provided by their respective countries.

PSG have been bankrolled by Qatar for more than a decade, but have still to win their first Champions League, while Newcastle are back in the competition less than two years after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) completed their takeover of the team.

While that financial superiority has obviously made a tremendous difference, last night’s contest summed up the different routes taken up by both sides to go about fulfilling their ambitions.

Paris Saint-Germain have taken the superstar route. They’ve broken the bank on several occasions to attract world-class players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria, Neymar, and Lionel Messi. Those players have come and gone, failing to deliver the Champions League. Kylian Mbappe, perpetually tangled in a link to Real Madrid, also cost 180 million euros in 2017 and now shoulders that burden all on his own.

He cut an almost invisible figure at the St. James’ Park last night as PSG continue to look like a team of individuals assembled together to further the exploits of a lone superstar.

Newcastle United, on the other hand, have gone the exact opposite way. They’ve given the reins of the team to an innovative and brilliant manager in Eddie Howe and have slowly built a team capable of thriving on the big stages. In that team, however, there are no superstars as every single player has brought into the philosophy of the manager and slotted into the overall cohesion of the side.

Newcastle may have spent big money on Alexander Isak, Kieran Trippier, Anthony Gordon, Nick Pope, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, and Dan Burn since the Saudi takeover but they’re all team players first and foremost.

Both Burn and Longstaff, who got on the scoresheet last night, are also local boys who are a testament to the way Howe has built his team.

On an individual basis, it would be difficult to argue that many of the home side were more skillful or talented than their opposite number in the PSG team, but collectively, Newcastle were well worth their 4-1 winning margin.

That is where Paris Saint-Germain find themselves right now. In fact, that is where they’ve found themselves several times over the last decade. They might have the pull to attract superstars but a directionless project without any identity doesn’t show any signs of breaking their Champions League jinx anytime soon.